Magazine for firearms



MAGAZINE FOR FIREARMS July 6, 1937.

Filed June 1, 1936 |NVENTOR= GIULJO 6O6L5OZ ATroR/vm Patented July 6, 1937 MAGAZINE FOR FIREARMS Giulio Sosso, Turin, Italy Application June 1, 1936, Serial No. 82,695 In Italy June 25, 1935 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of charging pistols which permits of a high number of shots to be fired with one magazine and which utilizes an endless belt stretched between two drums parallel to the barrel axis.

Moreover in the use of belt charges generally the cartridge enters the barrel with difiiculty for the reason that it has a tendency to be firmly retained by the spring clips forming part of the belt. The tension of the belt varies within wide limits during its step by step advance owing to the fact that the drums, of square-shaped section, have their faces parallel to each other.

This invention relates to an improved endless belt magazine which obviates the above described disadvantages and renders the use of this magazine in firearms very desirable.

This invention has for its purpose to provide an endless belt formed. by plates hinged to one another, the hinge axes converging towards the same point, said belt being curved towards the rear of the magazine according to an arc having its center coinciding with said point. The curvature of the endless belt though small is sufficient to give to the handle of the firearm a satisfactory inclination affording ease of. aiming and handling.

The axes of the two drums and the axes of the cartridges meet therefore on points situated on the axis of the magazine passing through said center of curvature, forming a wedge-like structure on which the magazine is fitted. It will be obvious that it is much easier to bring a hollow wedge-like belt into registry with the equivalent solid wedge-like drums than a hollow rectanglelike belt with a solid rectangle-like drum.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide an endless belt of the type as specified, in which the number of plates composing the belt is uneven. Therefore, while the square drum near the barrel has its lower face presented to the remaining or lower drum, the latter has one of its edges presented toward the upper drum. In other words, the belt rests at one end on a face of a square-shaped prism, and at its other or lower end on an edge between two faces of a similar prism. This arrangement provides the desired result that, as the belt advances step by step, a certain balance takes place between the decrease in distance of the belt from the drum axis at one end and the increase at the other end so that tension of the belt does not vary appreciably.

The spring clip holding the cartridge on the belt plate embraces the rear portion of the cartridge over an angle wider than half-a-circle as usual and the front portion over a smaller angle. When the cartridge case, pushed by the bolt, has left the rear portion of the clip and the tip of the cartridge is lifted towards the axis of the barrel, the front portion of the clip of a width smaller than half-acircle, by virtue of its elasticity raises also the cartridge case so that the cartridge is presented into alinement with the axis of the barrel. Entrance of the cartridge into the barrel is thus materially facilitated.

The accompanying drawing shows a construction of the object of this invention.

Figure l is a side view of the magazine, which is partly cut away to show the belt and partly sectioned.

Figure 2 shows the same magazine in rear View, a portion of the belt being uncovered.

Figure 3 is a detail view of a belt element.

The magazine comprises two juxtaposed cases, of which the front case I is internally concave and the rear case 2 is internally convex. The case I carries the pivots 3 and 4 of the two drums 5 and 6 of square shaped-section, of which the axes, instead of being parallel, converge towards the center of curvature of the cases I and 2. The case 2 is formed with holes to receive the ends of said pivots. After fitting the belt on the drums, the two cases are secured together by means of screws I screwed on pillars 8 carried by the concave case I.

The endless belt is composed of plates 9 each having a tail portion 9a. The plates, each of which is adapted to carry a cartridge, are interlinked by means of hinges ID. The axes a of the hinges meet in the center of curvature of the magazine. The axes b of the cartridges ll converge towards a point situated on the axis of the magazine passing through its center of curvature.

The curvature of the magazine is slight, so that the endless belt though being curved advances without difiiculty guided by the case 2, on which the tails 9a slide; the curvature being sufiicient to give to the handle of the firearm the useful inclination for aiming and handling, which is unusual yet highly desirable in a pistol.

The fact that the axis of the pivots 3 and 4 of the drums concur towards a point very much simplifies replacement of the endless belt, which is fitted thereon in a manner similar to the fitting of a hollow wedge upon an equivalent solid wedge.

Each plate 9 is provided with a spring clip [2 to hold the cartridge. This clip extends over the whole length of the cartridge case and slightly beyond it, but only its rear portion [2a encircles the cartridge over a width of over half its circumference. The front portion l2?) encircles the cartridge over a width of less than half its circumference or suificiently to permit the cartridge, by virtue of the clip elasticity, to be lifted as the cartridge case is pushed by the bolt. Under this action the cartridge leaves the portion H211 and moves towards the barrel, thereby moving the cartridge case into alignment with the barrel (Fig. 3), the inclined plane 917 with which each plate 9 is provided cooperating to this end. The cartridge thus enters the barrel more easily and smoothly. Owing to its shape the tail 901;, with which every plate is provided, works as a pawl tooth which by means of the. bolt action advances the belt stepwise at each shot.

As shown clearly in Figure 2, the upper drum 5 has its lower face presented towards an edge or angle between two faces of the lower drum 8. In other words the respective drums are oifset circumferentially with the result that the endless belt is composed of an uneven number of plates 9. During the stepwise advance of the belt its variation in tension is thereby maintained within very narrow limits or rather, practically constant, without the use of spring tightening devices. If the two drums had their faces parallel to each other, there would be a maximum tension on the endless belt when the edges of the drums are presented towards each other and a minimum tension when the faces of the drums are opposed to each other. In other words in the absence of the present improvements and under the arrangement last above described there must be considerable undesirable lack of tension and looseness in the endless belt to permit the drums to rotate on their axes.

These improvements make the use of an endless belt magazine with a high number of shots very useful in small firearms, more particularly pistols.

The constructional details may be largely varied from what has been described and illustrated by way of example, Without departing from the scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

' 1. An endless belt magazine, comprising a curved casing having its center of curvature disposed at the rear of the magazine, a pair of drums mounted in said casing, and an endless belt .so shaped that its front longitudinal edge is materially longer than its rear longitudinal edge to facilitate passing over said drums and guided in its motion by the curved walls of said casing.

'2. .An endless belt magazine comprising an elongated curved casing having its center of curvature disposed at the rear of the magazine, a pair of drums mounted in said casing, and an endless belt passing over said drums, said belt being composed of hinged plates each having a clip thereon adapted to receive a cartridge, said plates being guided in their motion by the curved walls of said casing.

3. An endless belt magazine, comprising an elongated and curved casing having its center of curvature disposed at the rear of the magazine, a pair of drums square in cross section rotatably mounted on spaced axes within said casing, the axes of said drums converging towards a point at the rear of the casing, said drums being circumferentially oiiset substantially 90 with respect to each other, an endless belt passing over said drums and composed of an uneven number of plates hinged to one another, and a clip on each of said plates adapted to receive a cartridge, said plates being guided in their movement by the curved walls of said casing.

4. An endless belt magazine, comprising an elongated and curved casing having its center of curvature disposed at the rear of the magazine, a pair of drums of square cross section rotatably journaled upon spaced axes mounted in said casing, said drums being circumferentially oiiset substantially 90 with respect to each other, an endless belt passing over said drums and composed of an uneven number of plates hinged to one another, a clip on each of said plates adapted to receive a cartridge, said clip comprising a rear portion adapted to embrace the cartridge over more than half its circumference and a front portion adapted to encircle the cartridge over less than half its circumference, and tail portions on each of said hinged plates, said tail portions sliding on the curved Wall of said casing as the endless belt is moved forward.

5. An endless belt magazine, comprising a casing, a pair of drums square in cross section rotatably mounted on spaced axes within said casing, said drums being circumferentially offset substantially 90' with respect to each other, an endless belt passing over said drums and composed of a plurality of plates hinged to one another, and means on each of said plates adapted to receive a cartridge, the offset relation of said drums tending to maintain constant the tension of said belt when passing thereover.

6. An endless belt magazine as claimed in claim 2, in which the hinge axes of the plates of the endless belt converge towards said center of curvature.

GIULIO 80880. 

